Career Summary

Biography

Ben Dascombe is an Associate Professor in sports physiology at the Central Coast campus of the University of Newcastle. He currently is the the program convener for the Bachelor of Exercise and Sports Science and Bachelor of Exercise and Sports Science (Honours).

He completed his PhD in 2007 from Central Queensland University, before moving to the Western Australia Institute of Sport to work as a sports physiologist until 2009.

In 2009, Ben moved to the University of Newcastle as a lecturer in the newly established exercise and sports science program. His teaching interests lie predominately within exercise physiology, strength and conditioning and professional practice, but he has taught across many other disciplines.

In 2011, Ben established the Applied Sports Science and Exercise Testing laboratory that consists of over a dozen student researchers and acts to focus on research that influences high performance practices. Ben has published over 50 published manuscripts or book chapters, 1 textbook on practical skills for exercise science students as well as numerous conference proceedings. Such research domains include investigating novel training practices, environmental physiology, applied sports performance and amino acid metabolism in athletes.

In 2013, Ben was awarded the Faculty of Science and IT Vice Chancellors Award for Researcher of the Year for his work. In addition to this, he has been invited to peer review research for over 15 international scientific journals and many industry consultancies. In his current role, Ben works with the strength and conditioning staff of a number professional sporting clubs in providing them with sports science advice and implementing new practices. Ben is an accredited exercise scientist with Exercise and Sports Science Australia and has held various other professional qualifications.

CollaborationsBen consults with various research entities around the Central Coast and Hunter regions. He as also developed research collaborations with various state, national and international entities.

Qualifications

PhD, University of Central Queensland

Bachelor of Human Movement Science, University of Central Queensland

Bachelor of Human Movement Science (Honours), University of Central Queensland

Keywords

Applied science

Applied sports science

Exercise

Exercise physiology

Professional practice

Strength and conditioning

Fields of Research

Code

Description

Percentage

110699

Human Movement and Sports Science not elsewhere classified

100

Professional Experience

UON Appointment

Title

Organisation / Department

Associate Professor of Exercise and

University of NewcastleSchool of Environmental and Life SciencesAustralia

A growing body of evidence supports the use of moderate blood flow restriction (BFR) combined with low-load resistance exercise to enhance hypertrophic and strength responses in s... [more]

A growing body of evidence supports the use of moderate blood flow restriction (BFR) combined with low-load resistance exercise to enhance hypertrophic and strength responses in skeletal muscle. Research also suggests that BFR during low-workload aerobic exercise can result in small but significant morphological and strength gains, and BFR alone may attenuate atrophy during periods of unloading. While BFR appears to be beneficial for both clinical and athletic cohorts, there is currently no common consensus amongst scientists and practitioners regarding the best practice for implementing BFR methods. If BFR is not employed appropriately, there is a risk of injury to the participant. It is also important to understand how variations in the cuff application can affect the physiological responses and subsequent adaptation to BFR training. The optimal way to manipulate acute exercise variables, such as exercise type, load, volume, inter-set rest periods and training frequency, must also be considered prior to designing a BFR training programme. The purpose of this review is to provide an evidence-based approach to implementing BFR exercise. These guidelines could be useful for practitioners using BFR training in either clinical or athletic settings, or for researchers in the design of future studies investigating BFR exercise.

Abstract: This study aimed to test the validity of a non-motorised treadmill (NMT) for the measurement of self-paced overground endurance running performance. Ten male runners performed randomised 5-km running time trials on a NMT and an outdoor athletics track. A range of physiological and perceptual responses was measured, and foot strike was classified subjectively. Performance time was strongly correlated (rÂ¿=Â¿0.82, ICCÂ¿=Â¿0.86) between running modes, despite running time being significantly longer on the NMT (1264Â¿Â±Â¿124Â¿s vs. 1536Â¿Â±Â¿130Â¿s for overground and NMT, respectively; PÂ¿Â¿0.05). Runners were consistently slower on the NMT, and as such it should not be used to measure performance over a specific distance. However, the strong correlations suggest that superior overground performance was reflected in relative terms on the NMT, and therefore, it is a valid tool for the assessment of endurance running performance in the laboratory.

Traditionally, researchers and practitioners have manipulated acute resistance exercise variables to elicit the desired responses to training. However, recent research indicates t... [more]

Traditionally, researchers and practitioners have manipulated acute resistance exercise variables to elicit the desired responses to training. However, recent research indicates that altering the muscular environment during resistance training, namely by implementing a hypoxic stimulus, can augment muscle hypertrophy and strength. Intermittent hypoxic resistance training (IHRT), whereby participants inspire hypoxic air during resistance training, has been previously demonstrated to increase muscle cross-sectional area and maximum strength by significantly greater amounts than the equivalent training in normoxia. However, some recent evidence has provided conflicting results, reporting that the use of systemic hypoxia during resistance training provided no added benefit. While the definitive mechanisms that may augment muscular responses to IHRT are not yet fully understood, an increased metabolic stress is thought to be important for moderating many downstream processes related to hypertrophy. It is likely that methodological differences between conflicting IHRT studies have resulted in different degrees of metabolic stress during training, particularly when considering the inter-set recovery intervals used. Given that the most fundamental physiological stresses resulting from hypoxia are disturbances to oxidative metabolism, it becomes apparent that resistance training may only benefit from additional hypoxia if the exercise is structured to elicit a strong metabolic response. We hypothesize that for IHRT to be more effective in producing muscular hypertrophy and increasing strength than the equivalent normoxic training, exercise should be performed with relatively brief inter-set recovery periods, with the aim of providing a potent metabolic stimulus to enhance anabolic responses.

Elsworthy N, Burke D, Dascombe BJ, 'Physical and psychomotor performance of Australian football and rugby league officials during a match simulation', Journal of Sports Sciences, (2015)

The onset of exercise facilitates an improvement in psychomotor performance until the second ventilatory threshold, after which performance is reduced. This inverted-U relationshi... [more]

The onset of exercise facilitates an improvement in psychomotor performance until the second ventilatory threshold, after which performance is reduced. This inverted-U relationship appears valid for incremental and steady-state exercise, however, not for intermittent exercise. This study examined changes in psychomotor performance of team sport officials during a laboratory-based match simulation. Twelve elite Australian football (nÂ¿=Â¿5) and rugby league (nÂ¿=Â¿7) officials (32.5Â¿Â±Â¿5.5 years; 180.0Â¿Â±Â¿6.8Â¿cm; 78.8Â¿Â±Â¿7.6Â¿kg) completed the match simulation on a non-motorised treadmill. Physiological measures were routinely taken, while psychomotor performance was assessed using the Eriksen flanker task (multiple-choice response time). Significant reductions (PÂ¿Â¿0.05) in psychomotor performance at different time points were observed. Response time was significantly improved when running above 65% of maximal sprinting speed (PÂ¿

Objectives: This study aimed to collate current evidence regarding the efficacy of various blood flow restriction (BFR) strategies for well-trained athletes, and to provide insigh... [more]

Objectives: This study aimed to collate current evidence regarding the efficacy of various blood flow restriction (BFR) strategies for well-trained athletes, and to provide insight regarding how such strategies can be used by these populations. Design: Review article. Methods: Studies that had investigated the acute or adaptive responses to BFR interventions in athletic participants were identified from searches in MEDLINE (PubMed), SPORTDiscus (EBSCO) and Google Scholar databases up to April 2015. The reference lists of identified papers were also examined for relevant studies. Results: Twelve papers were identified from 11 separate investigations that had assessed acute and adaptive responses to BFR in athletic cohorts. Of these, 7 papers observed enhanced hypertrophic and/or strength responses and 2 reported alterations in the acute responses to low-load resistance exercise when combined with BFR. One paper had examined the adaptive responses to moderate-load resistance training with BFR, 1 noted improved training responses to low-work rate BFR cardiovascular exercise, and 1 reported on a case of injury following BFR exercise in an athlete. Conclusions: Current evidence suggests that low-load resistance training with BFR can enhance muscle hypertrophy and strength in well-trained athletes, who would not normally benefit from using light loads. For healthy athletes, low-load BFR resistance training performed in conjunction with normal high-load training may provide an additional stimulus for muscular development. As low-load BFR resistance exercise does not appear to cause measureable muscle damage, supplementing normal high-load training using this novel strategy may elicit beneficial muscular responses in healthy athletes.

Dunstan RH, Sparkes DL, Roberts TK, Dascombe BJ, 'Preliminary Evaluations of a Complex Amino Acid Supplement, Fatigue Reviva, to Reduce Fatigue in a Group of Professional Male Athletes and a Group of Males Recruited from the General Public', Food and Nutrition Sciences, 5 231-235 (2014) [C1]

A growing body of evidence supports the use of moderate blood flow restriction (BFR) combined with low-load resistance exercise to enhance hypertrophic and strength responses in s... [more]

A growing body of evidence supports the use of moderate blood flow restriction (BFR) combined with low-load resistance exercise to enhance hypertrophic and strength responses in skeletal muscle. Research also suggests that BFR during low-workload aerobic exercise can result in small but significant morphological and strength gains, and BFR alone may attenuate atrophy during periods of unloading. While BFR appears to be beneficial for both clinical and athletic cohorts, there is currently no common consensus amongst scientists and practitioners regarding the best practice for implementing BFR methods. If BFR is not employed appropriately, there is a risk of injury to the participant. It is also important to understand how variations in the cuff application can affect the physiological responses and subsequent adaptation to BFR training. The optimal way to manipulate acute exercise variables, such as exercise type, load, volume, inter-set rest periods and training frequency, must also be considered prior to designing a BFR training programme. The purpose of this review is to provide an evidence-based approach to implementing BFR exercise. These guidelines could be useful for practitioners using BFR training in either clinical or athletic settings, or for researchers in the design of future studies investigating BFR exercise.

This study aimed to test the validity of a non-motorised treadmill (NMT) for the measurement of self-paced overground endurance running performance. Ten male runners performed ran... [more]

This study aimed to test the validity of a non-motorised treadmill (NMT) for the measurement of self-paced overground endurance running performance. Ten male runners performed randomised 5-km running time trials on a NMT and an outdoor athletics track. A range of physiological and perceptual responses was measured, and foot strike was classified subjectively. Performance time was strongly correlated (rÂ¿=Â¿0.82, ICCÂ¿=Â¿0.86) between running modes, despite running time being significantly longer on the NMT (1264Â¿Â±Â¿124Â¿s vs. 1536Â¿Â±Â¿130Â¿s for overground and NMT, respectively; PÂ¿Â¿0.05). Runners were consistently slower on the NMT, and as such it should not be used to measure performance over a specific distance. However, the strong correlations suggest that superior overground performance was reflected in relative terms on the NMT, and therefore, it is a valid tool for the assessment of endurance running performance in the laboratory.

The aim of this study was to compare the physical fitness levels of 48 metropolitan Queensland firefighters with those of a normal, age-matched Australian population and the aerob... [more]

The aim of this study was to compare the physical fitness levels of 48 metropolitan Queensland firefighters with those of a normal, age-matched Australian population and the aerobic fitness standards recommended by the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF). Measures of physical fitness were determined using standardised procedures. Using a single-sample t-test and an alpha level of 0.05, results for four age groups were statistically compared with existing Australian fitness norms and aerobic capacity standards recommended by the IAFF. The results demonstrated that metropolitan Queensland firefighters have significantly higher body mass and body mass index values, but similar aerobic capacities to those of age-matched Australian males. The aerobic capacities were equal to or below those recommended by the IAFF. The risk of falling below these standards increased with age. Taken together, these findings suggest that many operational firefighters in metropolitan Queensland do not meet the aerobic fitness standards recommended by the IAFF.

Coutts AJ, Murphy AJ, Dascombe BJ, 'Effect of direct supervision of a strength coach on measures of muscular strength and power in young rugby league players', JOURNAL OF STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING RESEARCH, 18 316-323 (2004) [C1]

The use of Field Based Tests on the Planning, Prescription and Quantification of Training and Match Play in Professional Rugby LeagueHuman Movement, Faculty of Science and Information TechnologyPrincipal Supervisor

2012

The Effects of Different Cooling Strategies on Endurance Exercise Performance and their Efficacy in the Training EnvironmentHuman Movement, Faculty of Science and Information TechnologyPrincipal Supervisor